Second degrees-for-sale scandal rocks Unizulu

A MAJOR fake degree scam has been unearthed at the University of Zululand.

This after the suspension of a security officer and an examination department official last week as part of an investigation into allegations of fraudulent qualifications up for sale.

According to a confidential source, the Unizulu employee who works in the Protective Services Department (PSD) has been identified as having sold degrees to students.

The full scope of the scam is still to be determined.

In 1997 the University was rocked by a similar degrees-for-sale scheme investigated by Public Protector at the time, Selby Baqwa.

It was then described as the biggest scandal to rock the academic community.
The red flag prompting the latest investigation was raised when a school Principal noticed two different signatures on Bachelor of Pedagogics degrees with the same dates.

Another headmaster also contacted the university after he found that a teacher holding a degree from Unizul was incompetent.

The degree scam is likely to have wide repercussions, placing serious suspicion on the validity of all student qualifications issued by the university.

For example, sources have already claimed the suspended suspect has strong links with political leaders in the province, which raises speculation that some positions within the uThungulu District and City of uMhlathuze municipalities and elsewhere may be filled by incumbents holding fraudulent degrees purchased from the alleged fraudster.

In response to questions sent to the university on Thursday, a spokesperson yesterday (Sunday) said, ‘The university is investigating the matter and will respond to media queries once more information becomes available.’

Unizulu has been plagued with a series of controversies surrounding the issuing of degrees.

In 1997 five staff members were suspended when an investigation found they had accepted money to alter student records, a scam believed to have been worth around R260 000.

In 2007 another scam was exposed that saw about 80 students being deregistered when found they did not hold qualifying matric certificates.

At the time media reports indicated the students possibly bribed university officials to ‘pass’ the entrance exams.

In 2012 a forensic audit report compiled by administrator Professor Chris de Beer indicated security measures and auditing procedures of blank degrees and diploma certificates was flawed, leading to a number of employees holding ‘large numbers of blank certificates which may have been used to create fraudulent ones’.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande was quoted at the time as saying there would be ‘no mercy’ and criminal charges would be brought against those implicated.